Worker Bees Blog is where BlogHer co-founder Elisa Camahort Page muses about marketing, social media, customer service and other Web 2.0 inanities

Saturday, March 19, 2011

BlogHer|bet is this week: A live virtual conference pass is available!

This week the inaugural BlogHer|bet Conference is happening. The "bet" stands for "Business, Entrepreneurism, Technology", and the conference targets women who have a big idea in tech or media and want to take it to the next level.

For some women, that means going out on their own and starting a business.For some women, that means figuring out how to get their idea heard in a corporate environment.For some women, that means taking their existing small business and scaling it up...via funding, via partnerships...whatever it takes.

We have tracks of programming covering all the most important issues any such women should be thinking about:

The Business track will cover How To Lead Developers (especially if you aren't one), How To Manage Up (to get your ideas heard and acted upon) and How To Think About "Brand" (especially when your idea is so new, there is no brand).

The Entrepreneurism track will cover The Deck, The Term Sheet and The Exit. That kind of says it all...these are the tools you'll be working with, and this is the stuff you need to know to go out there. No one will look out for your interests better than you, so understanding the jargon, and the meaning behind it, is critical.

The Technology track will cover the three areas of tech that anyone launching a new tech or media concept needs to be on top of: User Interface and Experience, Mobile Distribution and Promotion and Online Measurement and Monitoring.

There are a couple of great keynote sessions too, featuring women talking about leadership and how to demonstrate it, even if you only have one minute to make a mark.

And we'll close out the day by letting four great organizations show the women in the room their options to take the next step. We are proud to have the founders of Astia, J-LAB, the Pipeline Fund and Women 2.0 present their organizations. But more than that: Each of these organizations are bringing someone with them. They're each bringing a woman who has gone through their program and can talk about what it was like, how it helped them and what success has looked like for them.

Perhaps the most important part of the day, though, will be the morning. For two hours over 50 amazing women leaders, from across tech and media, have agreed to sit down for two hours and meet two different women, one-on-one and face-to-face, for one hour each to provide their advice and counsel on specific business issues the attendees are facing.

Who are these role models? They are women who fund and acquire businesses. They are women that have been through the start-up wars themselves and lived to tell the tale. They are women who are tasked with leading large companies into new areas and new directions. They are women who are on top of the latest trends and business considerations. Seriously, check out the speaker list...it's crazy the level of talent coming to share their time and wisdom.

We have been working on this event for the last six months, and I cannot wait to see it come to fruition this Thursday.

I can't wait to thank the mentors, in person, for walking the walk to help women succeed.

I can't wait to thank the attendees, for taking a chance on a new event and taking a chance on their own big idea.

I can't wait to thank the sponsors, particularly our host sponsors Microsoft and Cisco, without whom we never could have launched this new event.

I can't wait to see it all come together.

If you're interested in seeing it too, there are two options:

Live and in person: While we're technically sold out, several attendees are there to support women, but not to get mentored. So we have exactly five slots still open to go through the full conference experience, including being matched with a mentor. You can register here.

Live and online: We're working with start-up WMBLY to power a Virtual Conference Pass. During the conference on Friday you can watch all the programming sessions and keynotes via live-stream...and participate in a live-chat while doing so. The videos will remain available for 60 days after the conference.

You can also wait until after the conference and buy a pass to view the videos for 60-days. That saves you $10. (Although I think the $10 is worth it to be able to pop pin during the actual day and watch live...and interact with others doing so in the live chat).

So, will I see you there...in person or online?

We think you should bet on yourself...and your big idea...and make it!